Chapter 608: Shou Ma, the Immortal Devourer
Chapter 608: Shou Ma, the Immortal Devourer
"Thank you, Guanshi Shishu, for your help."
Yu Santian helped Yu Hua up, and the man seemed to have aged decades, his spirit and vitality drained in an instant. He forced himself to stand and express his gratitude to Fang Xing.
Yu Hua's failed attempt to reach the Dao Ji realm meant that all the efforts he and his family had put in over the years were in vain. Considering his age, the fact that he didn't die from the shock was a testament to his strong willpower and exceptional cultivation in preserving his vitality.
"Well, one failure doesn't mean anything. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future."
Fang Xing offered some casual words of comfort.
He had made up his mind not to support Yu Hua's advancement to the Dao Ji realm, but he still had to say something to save face.
At that moment, he looked towards the entrance of the valley and said, "Your esteemed senior, Fei Changnong, has arrived. Go and welcome him."
It had been about ten years, which meant it was time for the once-a-decade harvest.
Fang Xing sensed the aura of Fei Changnong, and he was still somewhat surprised. After all, this person should have died of old age by now, and he was still waiting to feast on the man's banquet.
Fang Xing led his people to the entrance of Qingyu Garden, where he saw Fei Changnong riding a trail of green light, slowly descending to the ground.
"Huh?"
Fang Xing was surprised once again.
Fei Changnong still looked old and frail, but the aura of decay and death that surrounded him had diminished significantly. He appeared like a vibrant elderly person, well-maintained and capable of living for another decade or even several decades.
'Something's not right... He's hiding something with a secret technique.'
'If I weren't a Yinshen Immortal with extremely powerful perception, I might have been deceived by him... Even a typical Yinshen Immortal wouldn't be able to see through it.'
Fang Xing stepped forward and bowed, "Please don't trouble yourself, Senior Fei. I, your junior, am unworthy..."
"Hehe, it's nothing."
Fei Changnong managed a faint smile, "This is my duty..."
Fang Xing noticed his deliberate display of a 'worried' expression and asked a few questions in response.
Fei Changnong sighed again, "Alas... Your senior sister, Hong Shi Jie, has passed away... She was concerned about my life span and heard that there would be an auction in a certain marketplace, selling longevity elixirs effective even for Dao Ji cultivators. So, she went to investigate, but who would have thought... she never returned!"
"Senior, take care. I'm sure Senior Sister Hong wouldn't have wanted this."
Fang Xing quickly offered some words of comfort and took the opportunity to pat Fei Changnong's arm.
In that instant, he felt a chill run down his spine.
'There's something abnormal with the vitality within his body. Although the auras are intertwined, it does belong to an external source...'
'Fei Changnong has changed. To extend his life at all costs, he has become a 'Shou Ma'!'
In this world, there are truly no side effects to any means of longevity for high-level cultivators.
Other methods, however, often come with severe consequences.
Fang Xing knew that Fei Changnong had most likely plotted against his own Daoist companion, using dual cultivation techniques to absorb her life force.
It was similar to what the Daoist companion of Tao Hong from the Xue Ying Clan had done.
Moreover, since it wasn't a match for the Dao Ji realm, the conditions for its use would be even more stringent, and the side effects would be greater.
'After all, Hong Shi Jie was Fei Changnong's Daoist companion. Through years of cultivation and intertwined auras, her life force could be plundered... Even so, the consumption is significant, and retaining a third of it would be considered fortunate...'
'If it were a randomly captured Dao Ji female cultivator, retaining a tenth of her life force would be a blessing...'
'Moreover, cultivating this unorthodox longevity technique would drive one insane, turning them into a 'Shou Ma'!'
Shou Ma, those who would do anything to extend their life.
They would kill their Daoist companion, sell their children, and do anything to achieve their goal, even if it meant becoming a different person.
'The vicissitudes of life...'
As Fang Xing watched Fei Changnong cheerfully counting the spirit grasses, his thoughts drifted back to a scene from decades ago.
Although he looked the same, his core had changed.
'Even a decade ago, Fei Changnong had willingly sacrificed his life force to protect his Daoist companion. How could he have changed so drastically?'
'No, it's not that simple. Perhaps, burdened by his aging body, feeling his body wither day by day, and death drawing near... He must have been driven to madness and collapse by this state.'
Although Fang Xing hadn't experienced it himself, he knew that the feeling of witnessing one's own gradual aging was terrifying! The body becomes a cage for the soul, withering, losing...
'Many people fear instant death, but a slow and painful death is even more agonizing, enough to shatter anyone's sanity...'
"This time, the spirit grasses total over five hundred merit points. Senior, I'll count it as six hundred. Junior still has much to strive for..."
Fei Changnong spoke with a heavy heart.
Fang Xing's cultivation in the art of concealing his aura had reached the level of a grandmaster, and after integrating other techniques he had learned, he had perfected the concealment of his own aura.
To Fei Changnong, Fang Xing appeared youthful, but his life force also carried a hint of the flickering flame in the wind.
His encouragement seemed suspicious.
'Shou Ma would do anything to acquire resources to extend their life... Perhaps he has his eyes on my inheritance and wants to devour my life force?'
Fang Xing thought about Fei Changnong's earlier hint, which seemed to suggest that he should falsify the yield and gain a large number of merit points. He couldn't help but smirk.
'No, this obsession might have been within him for a long time... And now, after descending into madness, it has been magnified a thousandfold.'
'In other words, unless he devours my life force, his obsession won't be satisfied?'
After seeing Fei Changnong off, Fang Xing shook his head and instructed the disciples of the various herb gardens to return to their tasks.
(End of Chapter 608)
"With many outstanding disciples transferred and Meng Tiandong's death, the old man in charge of the Yard Garden has become Yu Santian."
Although Yu Hua had just failed to break through, Yu Santian still forced himself to stay alert and began arranging daily farming tasks.
Fang Xing glanced around and felt it was passable, so he returned to his own treehouse.
Now, with his promotion to a 17th-level Druid, he gained some additional expertise. Although the talent of the Wilderness Shapeshifting skill was not as obvious as that of the Tree Herder, it still had some benefits.
'A 17th-level Druid is already considered a high-level Druid.'
'The expertise of Chao Xiao Xing Bian Shen is also quite simple.'
Fang Xing thought for a moment, and a spherical white paper ball appeared in his hand.
Upon closer inspection, one would discover that it was a paper house.
The paper house was intricately designed with carved beams and painted rafters, and the interior was a paradise in itself. Inside, paper figures were pre-processing talismans, and some were even making paper armor and paper soldiers...
Not far away, there was also an already armed paper army, led by a paper general, forming a military formation.
—Phantom Paper House Paradise!
"I have mastered the Origami Art."
After all, this paradise was refined by one person's power, and compared to the Xue Ying Clan's heritage, which was obviously pieced together, the power of this paradise was far superior.
This was why Fang Xing was unwilling to solely follow the Origami Sect's path, and instead merged his Yinshen with the Phantom Paper House Paradise.
(The rest of the text is unintelligible and seems to be corrupted.)
Chapter end
Report
